Sarasota’s developers aren’t the victims. We are. | Letters

With all due respect I disagree wholeheartedly with the recent guest column by Sarasota land planner Bruce Franklin (“Let’s stop treating Sarasota developers like villains,” Sept. 13).

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Franklin didn’t address the real reasons why Sarasota residents want a halt to development.

Yes, I’ve lived here for more than 50 years, but it’s irresponsible to keep developing at a reckless pace.

Our roads are so congested now that it’s ridiculous, and they didn’t use to be this way.

We lack the infrastructure to accommodate our existing population, much less a population that will continue to grow.

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The aquifer is being asked to do more than it should be, and we have droughts that are magnified because of this.

So where will the water come from?

When will we add more lanes to our already maxed-out roads?

None of these issues are being addressed.

Our quality of life won’t improve with more development. In fact, quite the opposite will happen.

So let’s get to the real reason why we continue to overdevelop our community.

It is greed – at the expense of everything and everyone else.

Jim Winemiller, Sarasota

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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota’s developers aren’t the victims. We are. | Letters

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Reporting by Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune

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This story was originally published September 19, 2026 at 4:02 AM.